Malay Mail
7/5/2015
KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — Putrajaya must reverse its decision to freeze hiring for the public sector as this will discourage Malaysian youths from seeking gainful employment, the Congress of Unions of Employees in Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) said.The umbrella body representing over 800,000 workers in the public sector nationwide labelled the freeze, which Putrajaya has yet to explain, “unreasonable” and warned that it could affect public
support for the government.“We (Cuepacs) vehemently oppose this move, is this because they are in power therefore they can do this?“Why do youths go and study hard to obtain degrees? This move, this is shutting them out, preventing them from getting any chance at employment,” Cuepacs president Datuk Azih Muda told Malay Mail Online when contacted.“Every year, there are people in the public sector who retire and some even pass way, so there are indeed positions to be filled.“And to say that the government cannot afford to hire people…well to me that does not make sense,”
Azih added.The Public Service Commission (PSC) has confirmed that the government is no longer recruiting for any positions effective April.PSC chairman Tan Sri Mahmood Adam told Sin Chew Daily on Tuesday that the government was not taking in any more people into its service, but declined to explain the rationale for the decision.Mahmood told the Chinese-language newspaper that 15 agencies, including the police, army and Education ministry, have already received notice of the freeze.He insisted, however, that agencies that needed emergency replacements could still apply to do so via the Public Service Department.According to Mahmood, the moratorium does not affect recruitment for vacancies that were advertised prior to the April 22 directive.His remarks confirm a report by whistleblower website Sarawak Report across the weekend that said Putrajaya was no longer hiring, based on a leaked copy of the memorandum from the PSC.Malaysia’s civil service force currently costs some RM60 billion in wages annually, accounting for a third of total government spending.Malaysia also has one of the highest public workers to population ratios in the world.Putrajaya was forced to reduce its operating budget for 2015 owing to a sharp drop in oil price since last year.
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